Halfling

The comforts of home are the goals of most halflings’ lives: a place to settle in peace and quiet, far from marauding monsters and clashing armies; a blazing fire and a generous meal; fine drink and fine conversation. Though some halflings live out their days in remote agricultural communities, others form nomadic bands that travel constantly, lured by the open road and the wide horizon to discover the wonders of new lands and peoples. But even these wanderers love peace, food, hearth, and home, though home might be a wagon jostling along a dirt road or a raft floating downriver.

Halfling D&D Race

Image by: Midjourney

Small and Practical

The diminutive halflings survive in a world full of larger creatures by avoiding notice or, barring that, avoiding offense. Standing about 3 feet tall, they appear relatively harmless and so have managed to survive for centuries in the shadow of empires and on the edges of wars and political strife. They are inclined to be stout, weighing between 40 and 45 pounds.

Halflings’ skin ranges from tan to pale with a ruddy cast, and their hair is usually brown or sandy brown and wavy. They have brown or hazel eyes. Halfling men often sport long sideburns, but beards are rare among them and mustaches even more so. They like to wear simple, comfortable, and practical clothes, favoring bright colors.

Halfling practicality extends beyond their clothing. They’re concerned with basic needs and simple pleasures and have little use for ostentation. Even the wealthiest of halflings keep their treasures locked in a cellar rather than on display for all to see. They have a knack for finding the most straightforward solution to a problem, and have little patience for dithering.

Kind and Curious

Halflings are an affable and cheerful people. They cherish the bonds of family and friendship as well as the comforts of hearth and home, harboring few dreams of gold or glory. Even adventurers among them usually venture into the world for reasons of community, friendship, wanderlust, or curiosity. They love discovering new things, even simple things, such as an exotic food or an unfamiliar style of clothing.

Halflings are easily moved to pity and hate to see any living thing suffer. They are generous, happily sharing what they have even in lean times.

Blend into the Crowd

Halflings are adept at fitting into a community of humans, dwarves, or elves, making themselves valuable and welcome. The combination of their inherent stealth and their unassuming nature helps halflings to avoid unwanted attention.

Halflings work readily with others, and they are loyal to their friends, whether halfling or otherwise. They can display remarkable ferocity when their friends, families, or communities are threatened.

Pastoral Pleasantries

Most halflings live in small, peaceful communities with large farms and well-kept groves. They rarely build kingdoms of their own or even hold much land beyond their quiet shires. They typically don’t recognize any sort of halfling nobility or royalty, instead looking to family elders to guide them. Families preserve their traditional ways despite the rise and fall of empires.

Many halflings live among other races, where the halflings’ hard work and loyal outlook offer them abundant rewards and creature comforts. Some halfling communities travel as a way of life, driving wagons or guiding boats from place to place and maintaining no permanent home.

Exploring Opportunities

Halflings usually set out on the adventurer’s path to defend their communities, support their friends, or explore a wide and wonder-filled world. For them, adventuring is less a career than an opportunity or sometimes a necessity.

Halfling Names

A halfling has a given name, a family name, and possibly a nickname. Family names are often nicknames that stuck so tenaciously they have been passed down through the generations.

Male Names: Alton, Ander, Cade, Corrin, Eldon, Errich, Finnan, Garret, Lindal, Lyle, Merric, Milo, Osborn, Perrin, Reed, Roscoe, Wellby

Female Names: Andry, Bree, Callie, Cora, Euphemia, Jillian, Kithri, Lavinia, Lidda, Merla, Nedda, Paela, Portia, Seraphina, Shaena, Trym, Vani, Verna

Family Names: Brushgather, Goodbarrel, Greenbottle, High-hill, Hilltopple, Leagallow, Tealeaf, Thorngage, Tosscobble, Underbough

Halfling Traits

Your halfling character has a number of traits in common with all other halflings.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

A halfling reaches adulthood at the age of 20 and generally lives into the middle of his or her second century.

Size

Halflings average about 3 feet tall and weigh about 40 pounds. Your size is Small.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 25 feet.

Lucky

When you roll a 1 on the d20 for an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.

Brave

You have advantage on saving throws against being frightened.

Halfling Nimbleness

You can move through the space of any creature that is of a size larger than yours.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Halfling. The Halfling language isn’t secret, but halflings are loath to share it with others. They write very little, so they don’t have a rich body of literature. Their oral tradition, however, is very strong. Almost all halflings speak Common to converse with the people in whose lands they dwell or through which they are traveling.

Lightfoot Halfling

Source: Player’s Handbook

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
  • Naturally Stealthy. You can attempt to hide even when you are only obscured by a creature that is at least one size larger than you.

Stout Halfling

Source: Player’s Handbook

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
  • Stout Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance to poison damage.

Ghostwise Halfling

Source: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
  • Silent Speech. You can speak telepathically to any creature within 30 feet of you. The creature understands you only if the two of you share a language. You can speak telepathically in this way to one creature at a time.

Lotusden Halfling

Source: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
  • Children of the Woods. You know the Druidcraft Cantrip. At 3rd level, you can cast the Entangle spell once per long rest. At 5th level, you can cast Spike Growth spell once per long rest. These spells don’t require the material components normally required. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
  • Timberwalk. Ability checks made to track you are at disadvantage and you can move through difficult terrain made of non-magical plants and overgrowth without expending extra movement.

Mark of Hospitality Halfling

Source: Eberron – Rising from the Last War

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
  • Ever Hospitable. Whenever you roll a Charisma (Persuasion) check or an ability check involving Brewer’s Tools or Cook’s Utensils, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.
  • Innkeeper’s Magic. You know the Prestidigitation cantrip. You can also cast Purify Food and Drink and Unseen Servant with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Charisma is your Spellcasting Ability for these spells.
  • Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class features, the spells on the Mark of Hospitality Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Hospitality Spells

Spell Level Spell
1st
Goodberry, Sleep
2nd
Aid, Calm Emotions
3rd
Create Food and Water, Leomund's Tiny Hut
4th
Aura of Purity, Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum
5th
Hallow

Mark of Hospitality Halfling

Source: Eberron – Rising from the Last War

  • Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
  • Medical Intuition. Whenever you roll a Wisdom (Medicine) check or an ability check involving an Herbalism Kit, roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the total ability check.
  • Healing Touch. You can cast the Cure Wounds spell with this trait. Beginning at 3rd level, you can also cast the Lesser Restoration spell with this trait. Once you cast either spell with this trait, you can’t cast that spell again until you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your Spellcasting Ability for these spells.
    • Spells of the Mark. If you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic class features, the spells on the Mark of Healing Spells table are added to the spell list of your spellcasting class.

Mark of Healing Spells

Spell Level Spell
1st
Cure Wounds, Healing Word
2nd
Lesser Restoration, Prayer of Healing
3rd
Aura of Vitality, Mass Healing Word
4th
Aura of Purity, Aura of Life
5th
Greater Restoration